1st trekking itinerary - Khaggiar - Cala Cotone

Thanks to its volcanic and rocky structure, Pantelleria is perfect for hiking lovers who want to stay fit during their beach holidays.

This first tour takes place in a lava field called ‘Khaggiar’, which comes from the Arabic ‘hagar’, i.e. black rock. This path was created around 8000 years ago by a volcanic eruption that generated a 3 km long lava flow.
International geologists named the brownish or greyish obsidian formed by this explosion ‘Pantellerite’.

But let’s move back to our tour. The departure is set at Cala Cinque Denti, a stunning cove with the clearest water; from there, you’ll head east on a costal path. While walking surrounded by the Pantelleria’s Helycrysum, the Erica Multiflora and the Juniper, you can catch sight of a small lake located on the cliffs above the sea level: it’s ‘Laghetto delle Ondine’, so called because of its origins, as it’s sourced from the waves that on rough sea days bring sea water into the small valley (onda in Italian means, in fact, wave).

On your way to the Volcanic Museum, you can see some military buildings, dating back to World War II. In fact, the museum itself is placed inside one of these buildings and arranged as a result of the cooperation of the Regional Corporation for State Woods and the University of Palermo.
You can then continue walking towards the lighthouse in Punta Spadillo and back to Cala Cotone, whose name is due to cotton coltivation: we assume that from there, cotton was sold and exported.

The tour is now almost over and you can choose between two different ways and head back to Cala Cinque Denti: you can either walk long the perimetral road or continue on the ‘Roman path’, a rougher option.